Tesla allowed to build 2,000 Model Y bodies at a factory near Berlin

Tesla has received a special permit from the Brandenburg state environmental department to produce 2,000 Model Y bodies at a giant factory outside Berlin, in anticipation of receiving the long-awaited final operating permit, the source said.

The construction of the Berlin plant was completed in October last year, but the manufacturer has not yet been able to obtain permission to start production. The company is still wading through the jungle of bureaucratic delays. The bottleneck at the moment is the environmental permit of the Ministry of the Environment of the state of Brandenburg.

More recently, environmental groups managed to get the public comment period extended for the project, delaying approval of the decision by another month. The new period ended in November last year. The decision is rumored to be on the verge of approval.

Pending approval, Tesla received permission to build 250 Model Y bodies for testing purposes. Several Model Ys were seen leaving the factory last month. Tesla has now received another permit to produce 2,000 Model Y bodies. But the company won’t be able to sell those cars. To obtain a new permit, the manufacturer informed the competent authority that it was not satisfied with the quality of the first 250 bodies. According to him, the results of system tests show that the required quality and production efficiency have not yet been achieved. Parts and housings manufactured in the tests are of poor quality, which deviates significantly from specifications. Apparently, this recognition seemed convincing enough, since Tesla was allowed to produce 500 Model Y bodies per week for four weeks.

Tesla originally planned to start production at its Berlin plant by the end of 2021. It is not yet clear when it will actually start.